


To The End

by AlwaysACuteMess



Category: Game Grumps
Genre: Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Death, F/M, Love, Marriage, World Being Shattered
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-23
Updated: 2017-02-23
Packaged: 2018-09-26 09:56:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,278
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9884822
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlwaysACuteMess/pseuds/AlwaysACuteMess
Summary: How far can you push a man before he gives up?





	

He was holding on.  
He’d been holding on for a very long time.

The sound of gunfire faded away in the distance, the snarls of wandering corpses died the further the group managed to run. Out of breath. Almost out of options. One more near-death experience that threatened to take everything away from them. But they got lucky this time.

“Dan-“ She hadn’t, so neither had he. And that gasping groan sounded more like a death rattle than the shape of his name. It weakened his knees, sending him to the ground, her still in his arms.

“Hey- we gotta keep moving!” Despite the hiss as gravel crunched to a halt underneath their stampede, he couldn’t hear them.

They weren’t near a camp. Or a base. Or a home. They didn’t have any doctors with them. It was bad. And he knew. “Hey, hey... look at me, okay?” Trying to coax away the cloudiness of her gaze with kind words alone. She was already halfway gone. He knew this, too.

“I’m sorry.” She looked pained, apologizing to him. For this. For the inevitable end.

“D-don’t apologize. ..come on... look- hey..” Smiling brokenly at her, something she immediately returned on instinct alone despite the blood dripping from the corner of her mouth. “If you start shambling, so will I. Remember?” It was a joke, until it wasn’t anymore.

The humor of that situation was now long gone. The reality, quick approaching.

A gurgle, both parts blood and pain, welled up from her lungs and a harsh ** _shhh!_** rained down from one of the others. But he didn’t have enough in him to feel angry somebody felt it necessary to hush a dying woman-

His dying wife, no less. “Come on, baby... I.. I can’t...” Tears freshly leaking from his eyes, halfway to begging her to stay. Scared because he knew she couldn’t, guilty because he couldn’t ask her to anyway. Couldn’t make _her_ feel guilt right before going.

“Dan... can you...” He craned in closer, arm around her holding her snugly, pressing his forehead to hers. Waited patiently. Would forever. “Can you...” The request got strangled underneath another pained, wet whimper.

He didn’t have to guess. She wanted some peace. Comfort. Something familiar and sweet. His voice was out of use. Had been for a long time. But for her, he’d muster up any amount of courage and strength necessary. “ _Love I- ..I don’t like to see so much pain.. so much wasted and this moment keeps slipping away... I get so- ..so tired working so hard for our survival.. I look- ..I look to the time with you to keep me awake and alive..._ ” Her recognition showed in her tired smile, broken but happy all the same, even as he openly wept, trying to keep a tune for her.

“ _And all my instincts they return.. the grand facade so soon will burn.. without a noise, without my pride.. I reach out.. from the inside..._ ” All he could manage was a hushed lullaby. Singing her to rest. But she kept looking at him, and through the tears he stayed watching the light die. “ _In your eyes.. the light the heat.. in your eyes... I am complete.. in- in your eyes.. I see the doorway to a thousand churches- in your eyes the resolution of all the fruitless searches.. In your eyes o-oh.. I want to be that complete. I want-... I want to touch the light.. the heat I see.. in your eyes...”_

“I love you... so.. so much...” She was waiting. Holding on.

And he couldn’t bear to make her any longer. “I love you so much, too...” Brushing the backs of his fingers along her cheek one last time, seeing her one last time.

Her eyes fogged over and then slipped closed. He felt her grip on his jacket loosen and then wane, but not fall completely. As if even in death she still couldn’t take the thought of not being with him. He couldn’t, either. In moments she’d wake as something else. But he felt a sense of peace there on his knees. If she was going.. then he’d...

That tranquility shattered with the sound of gunfire, the warm splatter of her blood across his face. Shivers started, uncontrollably shaking with her held hard in his arms still as if he could protect her from- from anything, but had failed. First then, now here. His gaze skewed only slightly to the right to see Arin’s gun still held, smoke wisping upwards. “I had to- man I- I had to- and we- we have to go-“ Trying to get his voice to harden so he could make this sound like an order and not a plea.

Instead Dan stayed there, clutching to her. Body still trembling, thoughts zig-zagging from one point to the next without any real connection. Absently he reached up to wipe her blood away from his eyes as it slid down, and then once away he stared vacantly at the rings on his left hand. Then he looked at her again- dead- no chance of coming back. Not even as- as... one of whatever they were. His eyes went up slowly into the distance. The sound of her laughter played over and over in his head until that, too, quieted.

He’d been running for so long, in a world that was determined to take everything away from him. Things had fallen apart so quickly. So many dead. Many more dying- and then coming back as something else. First the lights on the east coast had gone dark, and he’d almost lost too much to bear. There were no more communities- no more fans- and eventually, no more music, either. They lived in silence, the fear of attracting anything, bad people- hungry people- **_dead_** people, too great. And now finally, one of his last tethers had been snapped.

His world had gone black and quiet.

There was no thought behind him pulling his gun from the holster on his hip. Seldom used. More for show than anything. He couldn’t bear to hurt people. It was a backup plan, _he_ was backup plan. In case one of the more ‘competent’ members of the group got pinned. Where his softheartedness wouldn’t do anyone any favors. Not in this world. Not anymore.

Broken cries rang out from several people around him as he cocked the gun and fired.  
Nothing came. The chamber empty.  
Of course. Of course he’d forgotten to reload it.  
Just like him, wasn’t it?

Despite this he pulled the hammer and tried again- only for Arin to wrench it out of his hand and start screaming at him. It was a foreign language now. He’d gone deaf to the world about ten minutes ago when she’d died. But Arin carried on about having to go. Having to get up. Yanked at his shoulder. Threatened to pull him by his hair if necessary.

Suzy was the one to drag him away, to try and cool him off. The others stood there, looking frightened until realization dawned.

Brian stepped up to him. Looked. Looked for any sign of.. of _anything_. For his friend. For the man he once knew. But all he got back was emptiness. Dan was gone. Maybe not dead, but as much a zombie as everything else around them. He almost considered asking Dan not to make him do this, as he pulled his gun and aimed. But there was no recognition there as Danny looked up at him. Nothing at all.

So he fired.  
Watched Dan collapse onto her, still holding her tight.

The last lights in the world had finally gone out.

**Author's Note:**

> Hahaha everything I have in me is mean and bad!


End file.
